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Artist Katelyn Cross loves Greg Mazur and he loves her. He wants to be married but a previous relationship that went sour has made Katelyn overly cautious about any permanent commitment. And what about Greg’s first wife? He lost her to cancer and Katelyn worries that he’s only looking for a replacement. What’s a girl to do? Canoe down a river with five gal pals, camp out, catch fish, talk about life and men. The problem is, a river can be as unpredictable as any relationship and just as hard to manage. On their last day, when the river turns wild, the women face the challenge of a lifetime and find that staying alive means saving themselves first while being open to help from a most unlikely source. As Katelyn navigates the raging water, she learns how to overcome her fear of change in a world where nothing stays the same. When Katelyn returns to her garden, she’ll face one more obstacle and the naked gardener will meet the real Greg Mazur.

What bloggers are saying about The Naked Gardener:This is a quick read and I’d recommend it for the lovely descriptions of the garden and the surprises that happen on the adventurous canoe ride.The characters are appealing, both as individuals and as a group, and I was quickly pulled into their story. 4 strong stars- a great way to ring in the new year! "I would hands down read anything that L. B. Gschwandtner writes.""I enjoyed the book, and would recommend it. Now, whenever I see a garden, I’ll probably think, 'That chick from The Naked Gardner book would be in the buff here.'""...the book surprised me in such a great way. Both the writing style combined with the interests and the voice of the book’s main character, Katelyn, spoke to me in a way that seemed incredibly close to life. Within the first few chapters I began to wonder if I was really reading fiction or if I was somehow mistaken and reading non-fiction instead. I even went so far to check the back of the book and online as well. It was indeed fiction and this really impressed me. One of the things I enjoyed most at the beginning of the novel was the description of gardening and Katelyn’s summer home. The gardening scenes reminded me much of both my mother and grandmother in their own gardens (okay, leave out the naked part, and there you go). However, as the book continued and Katelyn’s group of friends went on a weekend-long canoe trip this burst of reality came to life on a whole new level for me. The conversations these women have and their reactions to each other were yet again faithful to the way (I believe) many women actually act in real life.""... the novel is not really about gardening naked; it is about the freedom to make the choices that drive our lives.""I thought The Naked Gardener was a satisfying read with an underlying female empowerment theme. It left me feeling grateful for the circle of female friends I have and desiring a girls’ weekend with them (although perhaps not canoeing!) I would not hesitate to recommend The Naked Gardener as a subtle, yet fulfilling, read."

In her first novel, award winning writer L B Gschwandtner explores the push and pull of love, a woman’s need to maintain her individuality within marriage, and the bonds that can make women stronger even when the world feels as if it’s breaking apart.

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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

LB Gschwandtner: My work has appeared in various journals and anthologies. I've received awards from the Writer's Digest and the Lorian Hemingway short fiction competitions. I'm an avid kayaker (touring) and grew up fishing in the Florida Keys. Here's a tidbit of interest. My husband proposed on our first and only date and we were married five weeks later.

More About the Author

Hi and thanks for visiting with me.My work has appeared in various journals and anthologies. I've received awards from the Writer's Digest and the Lorian Hemingway short fiction competitions.My books, The Naked Gardener, Page Truly and The Journey To Nearandfar, Maybelle's Revenge, and Shelly's Second Chance, are available for Kindle at Amazon.com. Some are also available in print.I'm an avid kayaker (touring) and grew up fishing in the Florida Keys.Here's a tidbit of interest. My husband proposed on our first and only date and we were married five weeks later.I hope you enjoy my books.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

I LOVED this book. It pulled me in from the first line right through to the end. It's really not just about Katelyn, the naked gardener, but about all women, and the choices they make in their lives. I adored each of the ladies in this book and could relate to each one at some level, and ultimately, I think that is why I enjoyed it so much. The story is sometimes leisurely, sometimes fast and compelling, but always interesting. LB Gschwandtner has proven to me that she's a writer to contend with in the world of women's fiction.

Even if you have never gardened or haven't a green thumb, this beautifully written book will make you want to begin cultivating your own piece of Eden. I not only loved reading "The Naked Gardener" - great story about six, well-drawn, interesting women - I learned from it. In addition to the superbly created gardening scenes and finely rendered love scenes there are sections in this book where the action - Katelyn and her friends take a river trip in Vermont - is spellbinding and reminds me of Hemingway and John Casey's National Book Award-winning "Spartina". What is refreshing about Katelyn, in addition to her artistic and gardening abilities, is that she is not so self-obsessed, nor are her five friends who find out they are all much stronger than they might have thought when their seemingly serene river trip takes a rather dramatic, frightening turn. This story is, ultimately, about something far grander than ourselves and how the salvation and reconnecting with nature - and the past - can bring us into a meaningful future.

I loved the earthiness of this book -- not just in the garden of the title,but also in the very real characters struggling with very real issues in a setting that strips away the trappings and technological complexities of modern life. LB Gschwandtner's rich, observant prose brings the book's Vermont setting to life right alongside the core characters, to whom women everywhere will relate on many levels. A must-read for summer!

In the story, Katelyn Cross moves to Vermont and begins to enjoy her life off the grid. She has a live in boyfriend, Greg Mazur (otherwise known as "Maze"), who has been less than understanding of late. Kate decides to go on a retreat with some friends to brainstorm for a good cause, and it is there that she finds herself and understands what she will need in her life to find true happiness. On the trip, she and her friends bare their secrets to each other, in true best friend pillow talk fashion. The women realize that they really do have a lifelong bond which will never be broken. When they encounter disaster on the trip, the women learn to depend on themselves, each other and the kindness of others to make it back to safety. In the end, Kate resolves her issues and problems and realizes what she has will be better than "good enough" to sustain her throughout the rest of her days on their farm.

The trip is the turn around point in Kate's life. It is as if she had made some tentative decisions before going off, but after she spent time with her pals, she was more confident in her decisions. What I liked about the story is that the ending was not so predictable. I expected Kate to make a decision on whether to keep her old life, or leave it for something better. Kate like most of us, never assumes that other people will change. The reasons for changes in ourselves or in others are always more important because it means the changes will be real and sincere. It is a lot like falling in love. Years later, the best moments are when we remember the exact minute it happened, that we fell in love with someone else, but what we really want to recapture is the exact second we realized it was happening to and for us - we long for the knowledge of the moment of awareness. It is so beautiful when we can experience it, but even more precious when we know it is happening to us, and this is the beauty of this book. I recommend it to readers of any age.

Six women, three days, and one river. When I first read the blurb, I was afraid I was about to read Deliverance with women.

I couldn't have been more wrong. The Naked Gardener is the story of six women of varying ages, walks of life, and personalities coming into themselves. It's a poignant story of discovery, self-acceptance, and understanding.Katelyn had always wanted to canoe down the Trout River, more specifically the Trout River Falls.

And when the women of the city council need a gimmick to save their dying town, the ladies use brainstorming ideas as the perfect excuse for the "girls only" weekend canoe trip. It is the quintessential "girls night out"--on steroids.

But the trip turns out to be much more than a way to figure out how to save the town. Each woman brings her own individual angst, issues, and problems on what turns out to be a very enlightening and fateful trip.

Beautifully written, artistic, and touching, The Naked Gardner is a novel of coming to terms. Each character has to discover, reveal, and accept who they are, the changes they face, and the lives they are living at that moment in time.

There's a piece of every one of these women in us all. Hope the virgin, Valerie the aging beauty queen, and Katelyn who's afraid to get her heart broken again. As for the others? Well, I can't spoil the story. You'll just have to read it for yourself.

Quote: From Katelyn "Artists have all of the same struggles everyone else has. Except they rarely make enough money to live on, and they have the extra burden of being pushed internally by ideas and visions that nobody else has. It's not a decision. It's built in."